Gwen is a senior at a performing arts high school, where she studies drama. As a senior, she faces a difficult decision. Gwen is eighteen, which means she’s old enough to work, but she has also been accepted to the drama program at one of her top-choice schools. Should she enroll in college and continue to learn the art of theater? Or should she start acting professionally, learn from real-life experiences, and draw on the many connections she currently has? To complicate matters even more, Gwen’s parents are not in a financial position to cover all of the expenses of her education, and she has not been offered a scholarship anywhere. If she chooses to continue her education, it will clearly involve a great deal of expense.
Gwen is a senior at a high school for the performing arts. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be on stage. She has done well during her time in high school and thoroughly enjoyed herself along the way.
Now in her senior year, she faces a difficult decision. Like many of her fellow students, she is in the midst of the college selection process. Gwen is lucky enough to have several choices:
“I applied to a bunch of conservatories and I got into about half of them… but I’m at the point right now where I don’t know what I should be [doing] because I’m eighteen and I’m old enough to work. And I’m slowly getting connections, and if I’m not [in NYC] then there’s no point having these connections. Because if you’re not able to work, not around to go around on these auditions, there’s no point in getting agents or managers.”
In Gwen’s program, agents are a regular presence. She is well aware that if she wants to, she could probably find work right out of high school, and start her acting career. Many students have done so in the past, and she herself has found some work this way. Although the school does offer some guidance, there are difficult questions to consider: even if Gwen did find work, would it involve the kinds of roles that would allow her to continue to learn and grow? Would the experiences be positive? As Gwen explains:
“It’s very hard to decide what to do from here. It’s been a question for a while: ‘Okay, I’m out of high school. What do I do now?’ And [my school] helps out a lot. If you want to become an actor and you’re good, they will connect you. But maintaining those connections is very hard because if I’m not around, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve got two managers that [are] interested [in] working with me … who I’m just going back and forth talking over [on] the phone with right now … I’m going away next year. I honestly don’t know what the best thing is for me right now … whether it’s going and studying or taking a year off trying this acting thing and then studying or switching into a school where I could study liberal arts in the city while auditioning, which I think is probably the better choice right now. I don’t know.”
Located in New York City, Gwen’s high school is ideally situated for someone trying to start a career on stage. Gwen is almost painfully aware of this fact, and it makes the decision to leave the city even more difficult. Although she has been accepted to excellent acting programs, she finds it hard to reconcile herself to moving away, and wonders about the wisdom of such a move.
Also at the center of her decision is Gwen’s awareness that she still has a great deal to learn. During her years in high school, she has been taught that acting involves drawing upon one’s life experiences. She questions her knowledge and wants to learn more, but is uncertain where she will gather the best experiences.
“I don’t know because I honestly don’t want to end my education. I think that I want to study more acting. I want to study more—the more you study, makes you a better actor, because what is acting? It’s not acting, actually. Acting is reacting, and just bringing life onstage. If you don’t know about life, then how are you going to become an actor? The more you know, the better actor you become. So I think that I definitely do want to continue studying, and there are a lot of things that I want to study. I love writing … I want to take some literature courses, sociology courses, acting courses. I don’t know what’s best for me. Is [it] going and studying and then acting? Or acting now and then studying or—it’s hard. It’s hard.”
Adding to Gwen’s difficult choice are financial considerations. If she decides to go to college, whatever program she chooses will involve a great deal of expense. Her parents are not in the financial position to cover her tuition, and she has not been offered full scholarships anywhere.
Should Gwen stay in school and continue to learn the art of theater? Or should she start acting professionally, learn from real-life experiences, and draw on the many connections she currently has? What values might motivate Gwen’s decision in either direction?